As we remember Newton-John and her most famous roles, let’s also cherish the obscure ones, like the mannequin in 'A Mom For Christmas.'
), but at the forefront is her performance as Amy, a mannequin in a Cincinnati department store that has black-and-white tile floors and a magical clerk played by Doris Roberts.
This is still the era of peak American mall culture, so in this film kids regularly hang out here, standing around in the women’s clothing section and calling each other “dweebs” for wearing dresses that were possibly too floral. 11-year-old Jessica is on the receiving end of this bullying, but she’s mostly busy staring at other girls shopping with their moms, wishing hers hadn’t died when she was three.
Like other mannequins portrayed on film, Amy is only human temporarily; she must return to the store on Christmas Eve. But she makes the most of her time by being the dream mom Jess always wanted, helping her navigate a school crush while encouraging her to overcome stage fright. Amy also encounters her own experiences, like sleeping and falling in love with Jess’ dad . She even learns fire safety after decorating a Christmas tree with 12 taper candles and burning the entire living room down.
in Ohio and it was Halloween, so Olivia took her daughter, Chloe [Lattanzi], and I trick-or-treating. People would recognize her and invite us in for apple cider. She would accept so graciously, she took so much time to talk to everyone. After we wrapped she made a point to not lose contact. She was the type of person that called to tell me she had breast cancer so I wouldn’t find out in the press. When I had to undergo surgery years later, Olivia was my first visitor.
As we remember Newton-John and her most famous roles, let’s also cherish the obscure ones, like the mannequin in. Amy was awkward at life. Breathing and blinking were foreign concepts to her, but she was inquisitive, charming, and loving — and the most endearing mannequin ever portrayed on film.